Shirley (Mamasan) DeSanto

Shirley (Mamasan) DeSanto, 87, of Sevierville, Tennessee, passed away during the early morning hours of Sunday, March 12, 2023. She was in her Nashville family home and was surrounded by her grandchildren. 

Her personal battle with cancer was her own decision. Her immediate family knew little or nothing about it. Her decision was to live on as long as she could on her own terms. 

“I have fought the good fight. I have finished the course. I have kept the faith.” 2 Timothy 4:7 

She was born in Celina, Ohio, December 5, 1935, to Robert Roth and Ferry Roth Walters, who both preceded her in death.  

Shirley worked all of her life and retired from retail management at the age of 74. In her retirement she was able to do her favorite things, hang out with her family and read books. She said “as a little girl all I wanted to do was climb up in the hay loft for peace and quiet and escape in a good book.” 

She was the mother of a son, Kim Anthony DeSanto; a daughter, Cynthia Jo DeSanto, and grandmother to Ashley DeSanto.  

She is survived by her family; her sister, Kittie Wise; her grandchildren, Chaim and Brittany Chavarria, Anthony and Tori DeSanto, and Same Lefkowitz; great-grandsons, Gavin DeSanto and Cruz Chavarria, and a great-granddaughter, Maleah DeSanto.  

There will be a gathering of friends and family to celebrate Shirley’s life at a later date.